Outside of the previously mentioned initiatives and suggestions, respondents offered the suggestions listed below.

An anonymous respondent[1] wrote his personal story in the comments section of the survey. The intent of this report is to give veterans a voice, and all comments related to the content of the survey have been included here. This Marine’s story is included below to allow him a public voice, and to inform readers about this and similar struggles that many NYC veterans face.

Yesterday--perhaps to save face from the embarrassment of his otherwise complete reversal--Mayor de Blasio issued a deceptive Memorandum in Support of NY State Assembly bill A.6543, which proposes to amend the current and unfair pension "buyback" credit system for state and municipal employees to only add veterans of the war in Afghanistan to the long and convoluted eligibility criteria for this earned benefit.

Please do the following as soon as possible:

1. Sign our petition of the Obama administration.
2. Contact Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand.
3. Contact your Representative in Congress.

We need to let our representatives in Washington, D.C., know that IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE to reduce access to inpatient hospitalization for New York City's veterans for the simple reason that veterans' healthcare is too expensive. Please make your voice heard and demand that the Veterans Health Administration NOT close 12 West at the Brooklyn VAMC on July 1. The VHA must seek other outcomes and solutions that do not limit access to healthcare for veterans who choose the Brooklyn VAMC as their local and preferred healthcare facility.

On Memorial Day, many of us took time out to remember fallen comrades and the many more we lost later to the physical and mental injuries that followed them from the battlefield. Whether we chose to attend a commemorative parade or ceremony, or decorate military graves, or reflect as we enjoyed time with friends and family—this was a holiday for collective remembrance. It then came as a surprise that the de Blasio administration would choose Memorial Day to run an op-ed in the NY Daily News stating for the first time that the administration explicitly does not support the creation of a Department of Veterans Affairs for NYC.

Last night we were pleased to see the Mayor’s office press release saying he will meet this morning for the first time since taking office eighteen months ago with the city’s Veterans Advisory Board along with senior military leaders in honor of Fleet Week and Memorial Day. This is a positive first step toward bridging the divide between Mayor de Blasio and the 220,000+ veterans and the 250,000 more spouses, dependents, and other family members of veterans who reside in NYC.